The Gambler chords by Johnny Cash, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Verse 1
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About 20 years ago,
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on a train bound for nowhere,
I met up with The Gambler,
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We were both too tired to sleep.
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So we took turns a starin' through the
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G
window at the darkness.
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Til' boredom overtook us and
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he commenced to speak.
Verse 2
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He said: "Son, I've made a life out of
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readin' people's faces,
"And knowin' what their cards were,
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by the way they held their eyes.
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"And if you don't mind my sayin',
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I would say you're out of aces,
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"And for one taste of your whiskey,
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I will give you some advice."
Verse 3
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So I handed him my bottle,
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and he drank down my last swallow.
Then he bummed a cigarette,
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then he bummed a light.
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The night got deathly quiet and
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his face lost all expression.
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He said: "If you're gonna play the game,
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boy, you better learn to play it right."
Verse 4
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"'Cos ev'ry gambler knows
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that the secret to survival,
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"Is knowin' what to throw away
and knowin' what to keep.
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"And every hand's a winner,
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just like every hand's a loser.
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"And the best that you can hope for
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is to die in your sleep.
Verse 5
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"You got to know when to hold 'em,
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know when to fold 'em.
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"Know when to walk away,
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know when to run.
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"You don't ever count your money while
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you're sittin' at the table.
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"There'll be time enough for countin'
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when the dealin' is done."
Verse 6
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"You got to know when to hold
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'em, know when to fold 'em.
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"Know when to walk away,
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know when to run.
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"You don't ever count your money while
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you're sittin' at the table.
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"There'll be time enough for countin'
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when the dealin' is done."
Verse 7
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And when he finished speakin',
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he turned back t'ward the window.
Put out his cigarette,
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faded off to sleep.
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And somewhere in the darkness,
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the gambler he broke even.
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But in his fi nal words I found an
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ace that I could keep.
Verse 8
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"You got to know when to hold 'em,
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know when to fold 'em.
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"Know when to walk away,
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know when to run.
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"You don't ever count your money while
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you're sittin' at the table.
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G
"There'll be time enough for countin'
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when the dealin' is done."
Verse 9
G
"You got to know when to hold 'em,
know when to fold 'em.
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G
"Know when to walk away,
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D
know when to run.
G
"You don't ever count your money while
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G
you're sittin' at the table.
"There'll be time enough for countin'
when the dealin' is done."
Verse 10
G
"You got to know when to hold
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G
C
'em, know when to fold 'em.
G
"Know when to walk away,
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know when to run.
G
"You don't ever count your money
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G
while you're sittin' at the table.
C
G
"There'll be time enough for countin'
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G
when the dealin' is done."
The Gambler
Johnny Cash, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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